Table 1

Quality scores for criteria of the CHEC list; percentage of fulfilment included economic evaluations focused on prevention or treatment and on return to work (RTW), respectively

Prevention/treatmentReturn to work
Lo Sasso et al25Bittman et al26Wang et al6Vogt et al27Subtotal (% ful-filment)Van Oostrom et al28Brouwers et al29Leon et al30Rebergen et al31Schene et al32Uegaki et al33Subtotal (% fulfilment)Total (% fulfilment)
1. Is the study population clearly described?1000251011118360
2. Are competing alternatives clearly described?1100501101106760
3. Is a well-defined research question posed in answerable form?00102511111110070
4. Is the economic study design appropriate to the stated objective?1110751101118380
5. Is the chosen time horizon appropriate in order to include relevant costs and consequences?01117511111110090
6. Is the actual perspective chosen appropriate?1010501001015050
7. Are all important and relevant costs for each alternative identified?10105011111110080
8. Are all costs measured appropriately in physical units?000001101016740
9. Are costs valued appropriately?1000251001015040
10. Are all important and relevant outcomes for each alternative identified?10117511111110090
11. Are all outcomes measured appropriately?1100501001015050
12. Are outcomes valued appropriately?1010501101016760
13. Is an incremental analysis of costs and outcomes of alternatives performed?1010501101118370
14. Are all future costs and outcomes discounted appropriately?1010501011016760
15. Are all important variables, whose values are uncertain, appropriately subjected to sensitivity analysis?1010501111018370
16. Do the conclusions follow from the data reported?1010501101016760
17. Does the study discuss the generalisability of the results to other settings and patient/client groups?1000251001105040
18. Does the article indicate that there is no potential conflict of interest of study researcher(s) and funder(s)?1101751101118380
19. Are ethical and distributional issues discussed appropriately?0000000000000
Total (% fulfilment)79265816459563379553847161
  • 0, no; 1, yes; CHEC, Consensus Health Economic Criteria.